Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has been made on moving Afghan refugees out of bridging accommodation; and what assessment her Department has made of the impact on Afghans in (a) Afghanistan and (b) third countries by the time taken in being able to relocate them to the UK.

We do not want to keep people in temporary accommodation for any longer than is absolutely necessary and homes have already been provided for more than 4,000 Afghans who arrived in the UK before, during, and after Operation Pitting. Over 300 local authorities have pledged to resettle families so far, and the government continues to work alongside local authorities and the private rented sector to secure more permanent homes. The pace at which people move out of bridging accommodation is dependent on the number of offers the Government receives from Local Authorities.

We continue to encourage councils that have not yet made offers or those that can offer more housing to do so. Landlords are also being encouraged to submit housing offers via the Government’s Housing Portal.

We have already evacuated around 1,500 Afghans from neighbouring countries since the end of Operation Pitting and, from Spring, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will refer refugees for resettlement under the ACRS, based on assessments of protection need.

The ACRS scheme was formally announced on 6^th January 2022, providing up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK. Further information can be found at the following gov.uk website Afghan citizens resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)